Last week I cleared-out and packed-up last year’s books and curriculum, archived our 2010-2011 work, and made room on the shelves for this year’s books and curriculum. We are at the point where we only need to buy new books and curriculum for our oldest, Emelie; for Meredith and Kenny we can recycle our previously purchased books and curriculum.

Did you hear that?
THAT was our budget’s collective sigh of relief.

Though all three of my kids will work separately through their individual Sonlight Cores this year, there are three different subject areas we will collectively work on throughout the 2011-2012 school year.

First, we will begin digging into our family’s genealogy. Thanks to the readers here at Pioneer Woman, we have an incredible resource base to draw from–so expect to get updates this year about what we’re doing, who we talk to, and what we discover, as well as what off-line and on-line resources we utilize in the process.

Next, we plan to teach the kids the basic principles of personal finance and debt freedom. Jeff and I both recently read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and began applying several of the principles in our own lives. Naturally, the kids have asked a lot of questions–“Why did we stop going out to eat so much?”, “What is a car note?”, and “What do you mean we don’t own our home? What is a mortgage?” On the way home from the grocery store the other day Kenny and I had a great conversation about the difference between debit and credit cards. At 14, 11, and 8, they are all at an age where they can participate and learn about how to make wise financial choices.

Finally, I want to teach the basics of good nutrition. I’ve spent the last two years making major nutritive changes in my own personal life. Over time, the kids started to mimic some of my food choices. While that is all fine and dandy, I want them to make choices based on knowledge and not just because “Momma says it’s best.”

So, since you helped so significantly in the area of Genealogy I’m looking your way again.

Perspective Shift

Let me give you some background. I have not been healthy most of my adult life. Weight aside (and I assure you there has been too much of it to really “put aside”), I was very sedentary, sluggish, tired, depressed, headed toward adult onset diabetes or a heart attack, and completely and totally addicted to unhealthy foods.

I’m thankful for the catalysts that set off my “lightbulb” moment; the moment when I knew I HAD to look for, and find, some answers. I also knew I needed to set a better example for my children, but at that time I didn’t have a clue where to start.

There are two books that truly changed the way I personally look at food. I read the first book, The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program, a year-and-a-half ago. The second book, Eat To Live, was purchased on the 5th of this month. I “consumed” it cover to cover, making notes in the margin, reading and re-reading it again and again. I’ve read many other books in between, but those stand out for the impact they had on my personal perspective on food.

With that in mind, you can probably understand why I want to offer my children a solid “curriculum” regarding what true nutrition is all about. I’ve looked online to no avail; I’ve yet to find a child-friendly curriculum that meets my objectives.

Objectives?

Let me give you the framework (or the Lessons I “see” right now) and please feel free to point out anything I have missed or give book references, links to websites, or any other resources you think might be of assistance.

1. Basic anatomy. The idea that before we talk about what we should feed our bodies we need to familiarize ourselves with the basics.

2. Why our bodies need food. Before deciding “what” to feed our bodies it is a good idea to learn why exactly our bodies need food. What do we get from the food we eat (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, etc…) that our bodies need. As well as what can we get from the food we eat that our bodies do not need.

3. How our bodies process our food. I’d like to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly here. How healthy, nutrient-rich food is processed -v- how unhealthy food is processed. I’d like to also have a “lab” of sorts over a period of a few days to display the effects of certain foods on the body. The kids can eat certain types of food (basically let them make a menu of their favorite trash food) and then journal how it affects them morning ’til night — even through the night and the next day. Then, take a few days break and have a day with a healthy eating plan — again journaling the experience.

4. What is protein, why do we need it, and what foods have it? I’ve had some strong misconceptions about protein and my body’s need for animal proteins over other protein sources. I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but the USDA Food Pyramid has been knocked off its rocker by what I’ve read lately. Until this month I had no idea there were green vegetables with more protein per calorie than steak.

5. What is calcium, why do we need it, and what foods have it? What foods bank the most calcium? How much calcium do we absorb from milk as opposed to other plant-based sources? What percentage of calcium can the body absorb from a glass of milk -v- an orange (not orange juice).

6. Drink our fruit or eat it? Why? This would be a good way to bring in fiber and how it perfectly balances the fructose, etc…

7. What is “good” fat? What are sources for healthy fats? Do we need them or not? How does the body process fats?

8. Organic Foods/Local Farmers. I just think this would be a good conversation to wrap up the food choices available. A discussion on pesticides, supporting local agriculturalists, responsible farming, etc…

9. Physical Exercise. Again, I think this is an important aspect of a healthy, nutritionally-rich lifestyle. I’d like to talk about how it protects the body, builds-up the body, and helps the body preserve itself.

I would like to show my kids the different thoughts/views and give them the opportunity to weigh things out based on scientific research. Obviously, I have a strong bend toward eating a primarily plant-based (veggies & fruits) diet, but I’m an omnivore and I do eat meat — just sparingly.

I’d love ideas for “lab” integrations. I’m not a biologist or nutritionist, but I don’t think I need to be in order to build a curriculum. And perhaps, if I can make it solid enough I can teach it at our co-op for the 2012-2013 school year.

So, if you’re interested in helping me out, or at the very least, building another fantastic list of resources for other readers, please contribute in the comments!

Help me build a Nutrition Curriculum. Share what you know. Teach me what I don’t. Send me to the good stuff!

Heather Sanders is a leading homeschooling journalist who inspires homeschooling families across the nation. Married to Jeff, Heather lives in the East Texas Piney Woods and homeschools her three children, Emelie, Meredith and Kenny.

295 Comments and 123 Replies

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Layla On Tuesday, July 26 at 5:13 am

Sorry you’ve been unwell for most of your adult life. I hope you’re feeling better and your choices are working for you. Please do not promote the ‘sugar is the root of all evil’ doctrine, though. Unless you’re diabetic or something, small amounts of sugar are fine when you want to give children a treat if they like that sort of thing. ‘Sugar craze’ is an imaginary evil. If children are brought up properly and know how to behave, sugar crazed behavior doesn’t happen. It’s a myth. Just make sure they don’t eat too much processed foods and E numbers and food dyes. They are toxic.

Oh I don’t think sugar is an evil in and of itself. I think, in small portions, all foods can be eaten (which is why I’m not vegan or vegetarian). It is a good reminder to stay balanced though, so thank you.

Linda W. On Tuesday, July 26 at 5:05 pm

Layla, you have ‘sugar craze’ in quotes, so I’m not sure if you’re referring to something very specific, or if you’re using the quotes to indicate ‘supposed’. I can tell you, MY kids definitely react VERY dramatically to sugar. They get crazy/hyper, then crash HARD. The _only_ times they behave this way is when they have sugar – especially on an empty stomach. Believe me, I’ve tested this theory out in different environments and different levels of sugar or other stimulants. Their cousins do not react the same way to sugar consumption.

I think there are many people who handle sugar very well, and some who do not, as _The_Sugar_Addict’s_Total_Recovery_Program clearly states. Layla, I’m guessing you and your children are lucky enough to react to sugar in a normal way. I am trying not to take offense to your statement that, ‘If children are brought up properly and know how to behave, sugar crazed behavior doesn’t happen.” What are you basing this on? Maybe the only people you know who react badly to sugar also have other parenting issues, but please don’t assume or state that it’s true for EVERYONE.

Great point! I also agree that organic sugar in moderation is not the enemy. In fact, just 1/4 teaspoon can take a homemade salad dressing from good to great. I teach our kids the importance about making real food choices at home so that we can enjoy going out or to a party without worrying about the consequences of a single treat. The problem with the typical American diet is that we see treats as a right, not a occasional celebration.

My husband and I recently published our first cookbook, Feeding our Families, and it is all about teaching others how to create a legacy of wellness for their family by using real food to excite the palate, heal the body, and nourish the soul. Real food tastes amazing, when properly prepared. If there is any way I can help you teach your children the importance of healthy eating, feel free to contact me through my website or katie {at} healthnutfoodie {dot} com. Teaching others how to bridge the gap between great flavors and optimal health is my passion!

Emmie On Wednesday, July 27 at 4:44 am

Linda, ‘sugar craze’ is a product of your imagination and an urban legend. Your kids react dramatically to sugar because they know they can get away with it.

Sara On Wednesday, July 27 at 7:42 am

Sugar does give a burst of energy, followed by a crash – there’s a reason every marathon I’ve participated in has people on the sides handing out small candies, and a reason some professional athletes grab a candy bar or soda during a workout, and a reason many energy bars and drinks contain sugar. (A serving of Gatorade’s G Series contains 14 g of sugar.) I know athletes who mix their own energy drinks of just water, salt, and sugar for long workouts. Jamie Oliver has touched on the effects of sugared foods in his various school meal programs, as well. Some people feel the effects more than others, as with most foods, and their reactions may be more noticeable. Regardless, most of us probably consume more sugar, especially added sugar, than is necessary.

Emmie On Wednesday, July 27 at 10:03 am

Sara – yes. But sugar doesn’t cause bad behavior. Obviously Linda’s children misbehave because they are not disciplined properly and because they obviously get away with murder as long as she can blame the sugar.

Kelly On Wednesday, July 27 at 12:26 pm

Emmie, Linda never said sugar causes bad behavior. She simply said her children respond to the intake of sugar. Mine do as well. Sometimes it’s as simple as they become more talkative and less focused. You seem very judgmental. Usually the responses on this site are kind or thoughtful, yours is not.

Completely agree with Kelly. One of the many reasons that I like this site is because it is a positive, supportive place. Thanks to everyone who keeps it that way.

Linda W. On Wednesday, July 27 at 3:09 pm

@ Emmie – You don’t know me or my children. I do not let them “get away with murder” when they’ve had sugar, or at any other time. As Kelly pointed out, I did not say they misbehaved when they have sugar. (Hyper does not equal misbehavior, in my vocabulary. It means excessive energy.) Do you or your family raise sugar beets or corn for corn syrup? I wonder why your response was so vehement?

Lisa On Sunday, August 14 at 7:13 pm

Layla, I have noticed a change in behavior when my children have consumed excess sugar. They ARE more hyper, which can lead to misbehavior, or at the least, annoying behavior; talking fast and too much, etc.

If you doubt the link between behavior and sugar, I would suggest reading “Food and Behavior” by Barbara Stitt. In it, she details how she reformed juvenile delinquents by simply changing their diets.

I think a great book to look at is Michael Pollan’s Food Rules. He gives great ideas about what to include and what to leave out in some pretty simple terms, i.e. if a cereal turns your milk colors don’t eat it.

Andi I agree although not sure the kids would get into it. I think a great book by Michael Pollan, and maybe yet another objective would be where your food comes from, for kids would be The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat. Not sure if you are part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), but that would be a great way to get kids involved in what they eat. Some CSA’s allow you to work on the farm as part of your pay. I think another great lesson would be meal planning. Allowing the kids to come up with some recipes, do the shopping, chopping, cooking and then have maybe a dinner party or something like that. Taking tours of farms, 2 days ago I visited a Yak farm, I am sure that the kids would learn so much about food. There are some farmers that are really great with the nutrition stuff and why our body needs Omega 3 fatty acids for example. There are some really great books that I can think of, they just are not geared toward kids. Good luck, can’t wait to see what you do!

JudyB On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:20 am

Last fall, I hear Michael Pollan speak, and have since read a couple of his books. His Food Rules is a great, simple little book full of wisdom.

Aimeemomof2 On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:24 am

Definitely read something by Michael Pollen. I liked In Defense of Food the best of all of his books. Also, watch Food, Inc. A great movie about the industrialized food chain.

Samantha On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:47 pm

Omnivore’s Dilemma might be good for the older two children, it might be a little too preachy for your taste and of course depends on your child’s reading level. I read it freshman year of college and passed it on to my then 12 year old sister. She loved it but now refuses to eat beef. Your kids are probably old enough to very stubborn about using their new information based food knowledge to make their own decisions. Hopefully this won’t cause too much trouble.

Jennifer has a great idea. Our local co-op utilizes volunteers on delivery days, and that would be a great way for kids to see how food gets to the table. Good idea, Jennifer!

Katherine On Wednesday, July 27 at 4:42 pm

I have both The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids and the adult version in my classroom as well as a book on fast food, and another one called Hungry Planet. I teach gifted kids K-6 and my 3-5 kids love the books I mentioned above. I think the fast food one is Fast Food Nation… I am not sure. They love discussing food.

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Eeyore On Tuesday, July 26 at 5:27 am

One book I like us Patrick Holford’s “Optimum Nutrition for your Child” – it gives a good overview of the kind of diet children need to stay healthy, and talks about why certain foods help or hinder development. I don’t know how it will fit into you HS’ing agenda, but I personally found it a worthwhile read.

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Kai-lan On Tuesday, July 26 at 5:33 am

My favorite assignment in one of my graduate health classes was to have blood work done a the beginning of the semester to test lipid levels (total, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides) and blood sugar. We then chose one thing we were going to do to try and improve our lipid profile. I worked out 3 times/week. My professor did it with us and he ate a handful of almonds every day. At the end of the semester we repeated the blood test and wrote about our results. So effective.

If you didn’t want to do blood work you could try to change body fat levels, BMI, measurements, etc…

Book which I would highly recomend before heading into the world of nutrition as curriculum is written by Gary Taubs. The title is. GOOD CALORIES BAD CALORIES. Available in good number on AMAZON.

This particular book gives you an incredibly good background of the nutrition world in which we live. The book is actually not for the kids but will give you lots of really important points on why certain foods are good for us and others just aren’t.

The fat/carb myth which has been in auge for so many years which has brought many of us to be overweight. The fact that losing weight is actually a matematical formula…good calories, more exercise, less weight is not the total answer. and here I quote from the back cover

‘despite this advice we have seen unprecendented epidemics of obseity and diabetes. Taubes argues that the problem lies in the refined carbohydrates, like white flour, easily digested starches and sugars and that the keyu to good health is the KIND of calories we take in and not the number…’

I have been studing this particular subject for the last 5 years. Put into practice most of what I have studies and lost 10 kg. Have a very sound nutritional program which I have been using in my kitchen and with the family. We have a veg garden, eat mostly bio and whole grain. The fact is that this particular study has given me and many others an interesting awakening to how we should eat in order to be healthy.

A good nutrition curriculum today cannot be set up without some knowledge of the newest ideas in good and bad calories….

another interesting fact is the onset of certain ADD problems caused by sugar intake.

Sounds like you’re going to have a wonderfully interesting school year! P

Rebecca On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:40 am

I agree about the Gary Taubes book, although “Why We Get Fat” is easier to read. This changed the way we eat and I’ve lost weight and feel energized despite not sleeping thanks to my 7 month old who wakes up a billion times a night.

I also recommend the movie “Fat Head.” It’s on Netflix instant and Hulu.

abby On Tuesday, July 26 at 1:43 pm

Yes! Great book. Its a tome, but slogging through it is very rewarding. I don’t necessarily agree with his conclusion, but he deserves a nobel prize for the first half of the book and all hes done.

I would look at Tosca Reno. She has written several books on clean eating including a book for kids that has a lot of great recipes. You can tie it into money management, as you discuss the value of organic meats, vegetables and dairy products vs the cost of those products.

Sandy On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:05 am

I was thinking the same thing: as conventional farming methods rely more and more on pesticides and genetically modified seeds, etc., eating organically grown food becomes more important. But it costs more — sometimes MUCH more. And for us, it means giving up any idea of eating locally, because our local farmers don’t grow organically. Where are the values? How much more should you pay for healthy food (meat and produce?) How about “green” household chemicals, which affect your environment too? Money and health management can be taught together.

Katie S On Tuesday, July 26 at 2:26 pm

I’ll “third” this recomendation for Tosca’s Clean Eating books. Clean eating is the gateway lesson to healthy eating. This coupled with Dr. Steven Pratt’s “Super Foods Rx” are my two most highly recommended books to kick start heathy eating or to help people shift their views of food and eating.

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JoMom On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:04 am

Jillian Michaels’ Master Your Metabolism Cookbook has a great front section that goes into a lot of vitamins and minerals — both where they are found in food, and the benefits we derive from them. Plus, tons of fun recipes for labs! I found a copy at my local library.

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Jean F On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:08 am

I’m not a homeschooler, but I had de-lurk. Bravo for teaching the kids life skills! This is something our public schools lack. And yay for doing Dave Ramsey with the kids! He rocks!

I would wrap the whole nutrition lessons together into a lab and have them help you plan a week of meals. Maybe even preparing a day’s meal from planning, to shopping, and execution. Don’t forget to teach them healthy cooking techniques. While the nutrition info is great, it’s gotta taste good to sink in and build healthy habits.

They’ll have fun with this.

Amanda On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:53 pm

I second this. Part of what I do with my kids every week is have them help me plan our meals for the week and help with the grocery shopping list. We discuss what we’ll be eating and how to balance the healthier foods with the unhealthier foods. It serves double duty as food and nutrition and as household management.

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Wren On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:11 am

I would include a unit on hydration and water. Keeping your body hydrated affects so much more than just your thirst, and it seems like you rarely hear anything about it unless we are in the middle of a heat wave. It’s so much more basic than that.

Amber Howard-McGinnis On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:12 am

I completely agree! I’ve had a problem with fainting every since I was a little girl but, we could never figure out exactly what triggered out. Just recently we’ve come to the conclusion that I dehydrate semi-quickly, and that if I don’t get enough water it brings on the “fainting spells” :D! And I live in Wa state, where there is never any heat wave of any kind! ;D

Leigh Ann On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:33 am

I can’t agree more! Other important things about water:

Water is a necessity of life. Without water, you can only survive a few days.

Fluid balance. You can go into the balance between intracellular fluid and extracellular fluid, or just discuss how when you sweat or exercise you are losing water, so you should drink more. Also the signs and symptoms of dehydration are important in my book, especially when promoting physical activity (if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated!).

Electrolytes (sodium and potassium) are key to fluid balance.

Water/liquids is another good part to describe the difference between energy dense and nutrient dense food sources. Compare nutrient, energy, and phytochemical contents of soda, 100% juice, sweetened juice beverages, milk, and water.

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Lindsay On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:13 am

One aspect that you haven’t mentioned for the nutrition section is where food comes from on a more fundamental level. I’m a graduate student studying plant breeding and have realized that most people (even me, for most of my life) aren’t aware of the huge amount of human effort that has shaped the foods that we eat over thousands of years. This has been in the form of selection of the best plants from widely variable populations, as well as making specific pollinations to combine parents with desirable traits and selecting the best offspring. These choices have had a huge impact on our food systems.

I know it might veer a little bit from your theme, but I think plant breeding (both its history and in practice) are a fun and interesting topic. You could even do some plant breeding of your own. Pollinations are easy to do. It would be a great demonstration of genetic principles to make a cross (peas or peppers might be good options), then save seed and see what the next generation looks like. A good resource might be the book “Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties” by Carol Deppe.

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Lisa D. On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:16 am

Registered Dietitians are the medical professional to turn to for nutritional guidance. Try contacting the American Dietetic Association to see if they have materials that suit your needs. http://www.eatright.org/Public/ (800-877-1600). The new nutrition guide from the USDA is available at: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

I’m going to suggest to the American Dietetic Association that they change their website so that when you search, “Homeschool”, something comes up! The website is still excellent, but nothing happens when you search on that term.

RK On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:49 am

This!

Any shmoe can label himself a “nutritionist.” You want to be getting resources from professionals with consistent credentials and access to peer-reviewed research. Please use ADA resources or directly contact a registered dietitian in your area. Even medical doctors are not good resources for nutrition information, and books about nutrition written be them, or anyone else who does not have at least an RD credential (and preferably a PhD in nutrition) should be approached very cautiously.

I would just suggest to use common sense in what you chose to teach, not just what Dr’s say is right. I respect Dr’s and education, but I can’t be closed minded and reject the natural ways to heal when possible. Good nutrition, exercise, hydration, avoidance of toxins, natural remedies, the list makes sense. I am going to teach my kids on basic weeds and herbs that are used for helps. “Stalking the Wild Asparagus” is a book that talks all about basic weeds and wild plants one can live off of…and the author should know. He helped his mother and family live through the Depression by collecting wild plants to live on. Yes, education is important, but there are SOOO many different thoughts on all this, that wisdom and good sense are needed. I LOVE Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. She has different sections on fats, carbs, proteins, milk products, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, salts and spices, beverages, food allergies, mastering the basics in the kitchen, and then great recipes. I just made some teriyaki sauce from her book yesterday because I ran out (all raw, natural ingredients). Then I made bar-b-que sauce for our pork, using the teriyaki sauce, ketchup, and fish sauce, also a recipe in her book, and my husband RAVED about it..and he’s fussy. I’ve loved all the recipes I use from her book, and she puts all kinds of interesting facts about nutrition and different ingredients on the sides of the recipes. There is so much out there! I can’t wait to see what you do with this. Please, take us along with you!

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Amy L. On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:17 am

I am reading a book right now called “What To Eat” by nutritionist Marion Nestle. It’s a few years old, written in 2005. It’s consuming me. I can’t put it down and have made so many changes based on what she’s written.She walks you through the different sections of the supermarkets, and using real science, discounts many of the claims that corporations use to sell their products. She includes politics in there, how the FDA makes decisions, and talks alot about organics (so far – I’ve only gotten through the produce and dairy sections). It is a-ma-zing. Probably not suitable for a textbook or curriculum (624 pages), but certainly lots of food for thought. Already we’ve joined a CSA and I’ve stopped using non-dairy creamer in my coffee every morning. It’s truly changing the way I think and shop for food – and cook I might add – I’m learning how to cook based on what I have and what is fresh and local.

Dana On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:55 am

Amy, I completely second “What to Eat” by Marion Nestle! I loved her walk-through-the-supermarket approach. Also, I would recommend “The End of Overeating” by David Kessler, MD. It might be a little dense for the younger kids, but he provides a fascinating account of why we find certain foods so hard to resist, and how the food industry exploits this when creating products.

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Elizabeth On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:17 am

I would stongly suggest looking at the Weston A Price website on healthy nutrition. You will be amazed. Also, I suggest looking into a very good book, “The Untold Story of Milk”. Yes, that’s only one food group, but when you read this book, it will change your perspective when you are in the dairy aisle at the store (and not in a good way). This book goes hand in hand with the Weston A Price (they have several great books on their website too). BTW, their conference is in Dallas this fall……so it would give you an opportunity to have a crash course in healthy nutrition. Blessings, Liz (Anna, Texas)

Molly E. On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:51 am

Yes, I totally agree. I’ve learned so much about real food and how we benefit from it. Also the cookbook Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon which takes Dr. Price’s discoveries and adds to them with references and offers great recipes.

The basic idea is that all isolated cultures around the world that ate in their traditional ways had robust health. Their diets all had commonalities, though. All ate raw animal products: raw milk, raw fish, raw meat (yummy carpaccio anyone?). All used bone broths throughout their cooking (loads of minerals). All meat was from grass fed sources and the whole animal eaten–organ meats included. Grains were soaked to remove mineral leaching phytates.

It’s very traditional eating and was a worldwide phenomena. It predates rampant heart disease, various cancers, autoimmune disorders and problems with fertility. Many of these groups were just healthier than those of us eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) consisting of processed foods, white flour, white sugar, chemicals and rancid oils filled with free radicals rather than old fashioned fats like butter, coconut oil and palm oil.

It is truly eye opening to read Nourishing Traditions–strongly recommended!

Lorraine On Tuesday, July 26 at 4:57 pm

I came on to suggest Nourishing Traditions as well, figured I’d better do a search first and I’m glad to see it on here! Getting some kefir grains and making your own kefir (fermented milk, like a drinkable yogurt sort of) would be a great activity, as well as sourdough breads. The websites Nourished Kitchen and The Nourishing Cook offer lots of ideas.

Another great site is whfoods.org – Worlds Healthiest Foods which is based on a MASSIVE book which we have as a reference book. My kids love perusing it.

April On Saturday, July 30 at 3:25 pm

Definitely a thumbs up for Nourishing Traditions! We do water kefir instead of milk kefir at our house.

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Krickett On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:19 am

Meanwhile I keep dancing On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:25 am

I learned a ton about how the body uses and reacts to food from _You:on a diet_ by Drs. Memet Oz and Michael Roizan. It’s also written in a very laid back, easy to read style. Something else that taught me a lot about eating as a part of whole lifestyle (as opposed to dieting) is _Change Your Brain, Change Your Body_ by Dr. Daniel Amen. The stuff about SPECT scans isn’t very practical–you have to go to an Amen clinic to get one–but the PBS special shows you scans based one his research–fascinating. _The Chemistry of Joy_ by Dr. Henry Emmons talks about making choices for joy in your life based on Ayurvedic principles, brain chemistry, and what he calls “joyful heart techniques.”

Finally, if you do the experiment with junk eating, etc., make sure that you “live clean” for the week previous so that you really see the effects. That’s also a way to determine if you have any food sensitivities. Check with dietitians in your area to see what they can share.

Yes, a couple of others have mentioned “eating clean” previous to junk food lab. That is a good suggestion – and one I didn’t think about.

Rebe On Wednesday, July 27 at 12:53 pm

An adaptation to the junk eating experiment is to have the kids pick one food that they absolutely LOVE (like potato chips) and eat it and write out everything they like about it. Then start the nutrition lessons and clean-eating, possibly keeping a journal of sorts of the process. After some time, have them go back and taste the original favorite treat again and record what they think of the taste NOW. Comparing the tastes now to the tastes then would definitely give a more in-depth view as to how adaptable we are!

I second the notion about the Dr. Oz books – they make the hard stuff easy and fun to understand and could definitely be enjoyed by your children as well ….you’d probably have to pick and choose from their topics, but it’s good stuff. And the pictures and diagrams are hilarious!

I look forward to reading the replies here. I love this idea. I have an 8 and a 5 year old. We already talk to them about making healthy choices, but I would love to go deeper with them (well, as deep as you can go at that age). I am very sensitive to sugar and have noticed that when I cut it out I feel so much better. I will have to check out the book you mentioned!

Try Dr. Andrew Weil’s website; it has a lot of information on superfoods and how to incorporate them into your diet. His premise is to prevent diabetes and high blood pressure by eating right early in life. Good luck!

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Emily Anne On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:35 am

Let me just say as a nutrition professor and dietitian, the fact that you are wanting to teach your kids about nutrition makes me jump for joy! You listed some great topics to include. If I was allowed only one suggestion I would encourage you to parallel all these lessons with cooking lessons. There is a real lack of knowledge in the younger generations about how to cook and specifically how to cook healthy (and tasty) food. As an adult they will have a much easier time making positive changes (or sustaining a healthy lifestyle) in their lifestyle if they know how to make healthy meals.

There are of course a lot of other topics that are important to include as well…I guess there is always more to teach than we have time to do

If you are looking for a good documentary – Food Inc does a pretty good job at looking at the origin of foods. It is mostly accurate and entirely eye opening.

You can also send me an email if you want to discuss more options!

Jeannie On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:09 am

I am also an RD and agree with Emily
A fun ‘field trip’ would be to go to the grocery store and pick out an unfamiliar produce then take it home and figure out how to prepare it – maybe even look up the nutritional benefits of that fruit or vegetable.
also – a lesson on label reading could be benficial – then another trip to the store to try out their new skill.
Good Luck !

Em On Tuesday, July 26 at 12:46 pm

Having the children cook as part of the curriculum is a must in my book. They could start at the beginning by learning about what foods are locally in season, then search for recipes they find interesting and once a week prepare a meal together. I did not have such an education growing up and am only now learning how to cook healthy at the age of 26. I would also recommend checking out the movie ‘King Corn’.

I just wanted to point out regarding number three that often times when you switch from a Standard American Diet (SAD) to eating significantly healthier, you will feel awful for several days as your body is purging out the built up toxins in your system.

So true. It was like withdrawal for me. Fuhrman touches on that in his book, “Eat to Live”, but I went through it even before that book. I literally thought I had the flu.

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Marth On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:36 am

I think another interesting thing to talk about (although I don’t have any resources off the top of my head) is the diets of traditional peoples around the world. Many cultures eat very high fat diets and are much healthier – why is that?

Mark Bittman has written a few books on this subject. I picked up a copy of Food Matters and have since purchased two more of his books. Food Matters, takes a look at eating too much meat, global warming, and eating more plant based foods. There are some great recipes but most important to me was the straight forward information about food and it how it affects us and the world we live in. He doesn’t scare you into believing his way is the only way. In fact, he puts the facts out there for you to make your own decisions.
Good luck with your project.

Seconding the vote for Mark Bittman! Food Matters is a great book, very straightforward and easy to understand, and includes recipes for how to cook simple, good, healthy food.

I think if you are integrating healthy foods, that simple ways to cook that food is a natural addition to the curriculum. Plus, you can talk about how the nutritents change or how foods become more/less healthy after cooking–a great segue into chemistry.

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Bria V On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:40 am

One experiment I did in high school that has stuck with me forever was in the nutrition category. We took a hamburger happy meal, blended it up in a blender and then tested it for all the different nutrients (protein, fats, carbs, etc.) I don’t really recall how we tested it… I want to say we dipped some sort of paper in it… like litmus or something. However, what I learned was that there was NO protein in this “hamburger” happy meal. I NEVER eat at McDonald’s because of this. What is in that “meat” if it’s not protein?!

Amber Howard-McGinnis On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:15 am

I highly suggest the movie “Food Inc.”–it may make you puke, just a little.

Tina On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:40 pm

Have you seen that photo project where someone photographed the same Happy Meal daily for several months? *Spoiler alert* It is disturbingly unchanged throughout the course of those months. My lesson learned? Don’t eat anything that doesn’t rot! (Except honey. I think honey might not “rot”.)

I will be following your progress here as this is a passion of mine. A good book i have kept as a “go to” book of my own is “What the Bible says about healthy Living” by Dr. Rex Russell. VERY INSIGHTFUL.

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Christina On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:45 am

I would also recommend a lesson on reading and understanding nutrition labels. It is great to understand what to eat but useless if you cannot decipher the food labels. Fooducate (Food -Education) has a great blog at http://www.fooducate.com/blog/ Also if you have an android or iPhone they have a free app that lets you scan items at the store and see really important information.

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Michele Albert On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:47 am

Good for you! I think teaching children about make good choices, both in food and finance will make them strong, independent, and healthy. I wish you good luck in finding a program that works for your family.

On another note, thank you for sharing your road trip earlier this year. I truly enjoyed reading about your adventures.

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Donita Hammond On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:47 am

I have no advice on the nutrition but will be interested in seeing what you come up with.

And, wtg on teaching kids about finances. We are big DR fans and just completed BS3. Our kids are learning along with us, but still get confused about the debit/credit issue when we say “credit” at the grocery store.

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Stevie On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:49 am

In New Zealand people can access this type of information through the Ministry of Health or Ministry of Education. People can order the public school curriculum for teaching nutrition, health and exercise for use by homeschoolers, clubs or anyone who is interested. The programme includes posters, stickers, DVDs, workbooks, internet activities and is all free. Anyone can also get what’s called “green prescription” where you enter your details with your doctor who forwards them to the government ministry. You are then given free nutritional training, exercise training, access to a support buddy network, nurses and counseling to achieve fitness goals.
Unfortunately I now realize that most of these internet resources won’t work outside of NZ (the internet access is denied). But hopefully this will give you some ideas of government departments that might provide similar resources in your home country?
Health care, nutrition care etc is all free and government provided in New Zealand (free access to doctors and hospitals and hospital care) so they are big on nutrition curriculums people can work on at home in their own time.
I hope you find similar curriculum resources in the USA which are helpful. Sorry if my post is unhelpful / boring but I think you have an excellent idea teaching kids about these ideas and I hope your government has a similar system of free resources.

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Heather W. On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:51 am

For organic/local eating I highly recommend Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” which is her family’s personal story of a year eating only locally-produced food. It might be too much for your younger two to handle on their own, but it could work as a read-aloud. They also have a website with further sources (including all the recipes that are included in the book). http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

I particularly like it for young people because the author’s daughter helped her write it, and is pretty frank about the difficulties and joys of eating locally and healthily.

Megan Z. On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:11 am

I could not agree more with this recommendation. “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” helped me to look at food and food production from a broader perspective (e.g. how nutrition and environmental sustainability go hand-in-hand). It’s a very common-sense book that also offers lots of valuable information on farming, the scientific and political aspects of food production, and a few tasty recipes. It would be a really great multidisciplinary resource.

Robin On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:14 am

I was going to suggest that one, too! I don’t agree with/hope to apply everything she says in her book, but it really motivated me to eat more locally, start a garden, and utilize more vegetables in my kitchen. After the turkey chapter I even found myself wanting a turkey! That wore off quickly, though.

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Tonia On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:52 am

I’m not a mom or a nutritionist BUT I am a foodie/professional baker and read A LOT. What I would do is go to the library to the cooking section check out cookbooks, especially books that are written about a specific food (say “Fish”, “Bread” “vegetables”) some writers/authors really get into the science of how things work (ie: Rose Levy Beranbaum who wrote the Cake Bible, the Bread Bible and the Pie and Pastry Bible). Here’s a list of some of my favorites — some of which are both cookbooks and histories. “Blue Corn and Chocolate” by Elisabeth Rozin; “Kitchen Science” by Howard Hillman; “Ginger” by Lou Seibert Pappas; “Garlic” by Janet Hazen; ‘Laurel’s Kitchen Bread Book” by Laurel Robertson; “Food in History” by Reay Tannahill. Also, to find out more about farmers there are several good blogs written by many different kinds of farmers (both big and small) — Glorious Life of an Idaho Farmwife; Commen Sense Agriculture Blog; Washington State Farm Bureau; WSU Extention-Chelan & Douglas Counties; Pacific Northwest Pear Bureau — these are some that I like and also use (help my mom run our pear orchard in northcentral WA state). Hope this gives you some ideas and some help. Have fun! I love food and it should be fun not fearful

PS: WSU stands for Washington State University who are well known for their agricultural research and development.

Tessa On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:58 am

Great resources! Go to the source. Talk to farmers/ranchers. Your state Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau would be great sources of information. They might even connect you with a farmer or rancher who would do a tour or something else hands on.

While I’m not “putting down” organic or local farming, it might be useful to talk about food supply for the world and understand conventional ways of farming as well and why modern farming has evolved to become the most efficient way to produce food to feed our growing population. Try to give your kids the facts on all types of agriculture and why different methods of growing crops suit different people.

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Stevie On Tuesday, July 26 at 6:54 am

Another component taught alongside nutrition in our jurisdiction is food safety / food hygiene (learning about the importance of clean food preparation, safe food storage etc). This can also be useful for kids to learn about. Particularly if they begin to take a more active role in food preparation.

Suze On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:47 am

Remember: Do not reuse any meat marinades as recommended by Mz. Ree herself!

Wow – what an amazing start of this curriculum. I am inspired to do this with my kids, too. I don’t have any resources for you, but your list reminded me of an experiment I want to do with my kids – bake a loaf of bread (white, wheat, whatever), and buy a loaf of grocery store bread, same type. Take a slice of each and put them in a baggie on the counter (separate baggies), put a slice of each in separate baggies in the refrigerator, in linen bags, etc. See how quickly the homemade one gets moldy versus the store bought one. Basically, to show how making something with simple ingredients is fresher, has a shorter shelf life, and is better for you than something loaded with preservatives.

Thanks for your post today – I think this is all so interesting! And I love your book suggestions.

Jill, I love the bread idea. Sorta reminds me of the McDonald’s french fry/hamburger experiment I’ve seen (and shown the kids) on YouTube. Thank you!

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Susan Cosby On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:05 am

I have been working on changing my family’s eating habits for several years also and a couple of my ‘go to’ books are “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy,” by Walter C. Willett, M.D., and “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” by Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S. My easiest advice would be to eat ‘real food’ and read labels. If I can’t pronounce something on a label, odds are I don’t want to put it into my body! Best of luck with your curriculum and I look forward to seeing future posts with updates.

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Laura {{* *}} On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:05 am

I don’t do diets, or manipulate food to keep us at ideal body weight.
Read about nutrition, not the current marketing ploy by manufacturers or authors looking for a fast buck or hungry following.
Everything comes back to a balance of whole foods, as close to their original, simple form as possible for the bulk of your diet.
So much information is available if you are willing to invest your time to read.
These books helped to shape our nutritional philosophy:

My rigidity has softened over the years and I now try to keep only the good things stocked and served at home and let the pepperoni fly when we go out or join others in their homes for a meal.
You’re on the right track. Teach them. Teach them.
Model a balance of good nutrition, which will require some changes in your lifestyle.
I agree with the comment about hydration with clean WATER.
It is shocking how many people we know that never consider water.
Not just as a beverage, but as something the body requires daily.
Teach them…water first, and why.

This coming year, my 6th grader and I will dive into this science curriculum:
Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology
Jeannie Fulbright

It will give her the knowledge of “why and how” as she comes to greater understanding of what I have already shown her.

I love this topic and look forward to reading more comments and hopefully more posts from you about your journey of education in this area.

Bon Appetit!

{{* *}}

Susan in MO On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:03 pm

I have to give a plus one thumbs up to Nourishing Traditions and the Weston Price folks. They radically changed the way I think about food. While I don’t agree with them on all points, having the whole “lipid hypothesis” of heart disease blown out of the water was key moment for me in learning about real nutrition.

Jennifer On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:11 am

I am teaching a whole foods nutrition course to homeschoolers based off the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. That book rocks!!! I recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about nutrition.

Meredith On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:33 am

I was going to say the same thing! My 9yo son did a summer project on the benefits of raw milk and the dangers of supermarket milk using this book. A great resource for learning about healthy fats, too. I could also see it as a social studies type project for Emelie…. Why/how has society changed the way we eat and the food that’s available to us? Also a cool history lesson in preparing foods you don’t think you’ve ever seen (my husband about fell out of his chair when I told him I had just made “curds and whey”!!)

gogardengirl On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:27 am

Nourishing Traditions has totally changed my thinking about food. Returning to traditional foods makes sense and provides many opportunities to look into your family history and create the foods of your family cultures. There are also many opportunities for science as you try fermenting foods. Growing their own food is also a super way to engage them in the lessons. I always have a garden with my 2nd grade class–they are amazed at the miracle of a tiny seed and then have the opportunity to harvest and prepare a meal using the harvest. Have a great year!

L a u r a On Tuesday, July 26 at 2:49 pm

Yep, I’d add the same thing–Nourishing Traditions. All of the information at the beginning of the book is quite eye opening and has really helped a number of families I know work through their various food intolerances, etc.

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Natalia On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:15 am

For a more practical approach: how about letting your kids grow their own vegetables in pots? For most vegetables, it’s something you can do almost year-rond indoors: All you need is a window ledge, a couple of big pots and some seeds. Right now, I’m growing tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, peppers,… It’s great fun and it makes you realize where your food comes from!

ToniMomofFour On Tuesday, July 26 at 2:06 pm

Lots of good suggestions here. So many great books have been mentioned. I think adding a garden would be hugely beneficial. We built a large, organic vegetable garden in our backyard and it has been a wonderful homeschool tool. It helps me teach:

An in addition, it helps us connect with where our food really comes from. My kids are more likely to eat and savor a green bean if they grew it from a seed. We have also grown many varieties of vegetables that you can’t find easily in stores. Ever taste a Sweet Dumpling squash??? Me either! Until I grew some this year. They were delicious!

And finally, I love the idea of keeping all these agricultural traditions alive. A hundred years ago, everyone had a vegetable garden and parents taught their children the importance of crop rotation, how to tie back a tomato plant, how to deal with potato beetles, how much water the onions need, etc… All that tradition is quickly being lost.

A neighbor of mine had a son who, when asked in school where food comes from, he answered…”the microwave!” D’oh!

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Rachel On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:17 am

I’d suggest anything by Michael Pollan. I find his writing style simplified enough for those of us without biology or chemistry degrees, and interesting in a way that doesn’t make reading a book on nutrition feel like a chore. (He’s a journalist by trade.) “Food Rules” is a good one for short lessons (they’re each literally a sentence or two), but for more in-depth reading, try “In Defense of Food” or “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”. I’m about 4 weeks away from having a child myself, so I can’t speak to their kid-friendliness, but at least “In Defense of Food” would be a good place to start!

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Sarah On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:18 am

Few things that popped into my mind: If you have a bunson burner (or some other butane source like a camp stove) burn a marshmallow and a piece of celery (measure them to be the same mass) then see how long it takes for the marshmallow to disengrate and the celery. Its best if you can do it in a controlled way and I am sure you can find the details on the best setup on the www somewhere but it is cool to see just how fast that sugar is gone and how long the fiber can last.

Also, when examining proteins it is important to remember that proteins require fat to be properly used. Some proteins require less fat or a “different” fat to be most effective.

Might be cool to do a mini study of all the good and bad bacterias in your body. Like how we are supposed to have E.coli in your lower intestine, but how bad in can be in the stomach. Or why we can use the natural fermentation of yogurt to help your stomach acid and bacteria levels.

If you are going to dig into agriculture and food production you can also look at animals diets and how their efficiency changes with the diet, how producers balance the rate of gain with input costs, why we eat the animals we do, why we grow the vegetables we do.

Re: burning marshmallows vs burning celery, I’m not sure the time it takes to burn them with a flame of a given temperature is particularly relevant. Don’t we eat fibre for a reason unrelated to energy?

I do remember burning food in high school, but we did it to see by how much you could heat up a fixed volume of water with the energy from each (I can’t remember how we did this controllably, but you’d have to have the food, not a burner, fuelling the flame, for this to mean anything). I was always skeptical about even this being directly transferable to a biological process. After all, you sure can burn hay, and you can explode hay dust, but it doesn’t mean humans have the enzymes to extract the energy from them if we eat them.

Throw celery into the situation and you have one food that’s mostly water (you’d have to evaporate all that off before the remainder will exceed the boiling temperature of water and thus be even tempted to burn) and one that is, indeed, easily combustible. But in the end, what does it mean to our bodies? I guess, if the kids can have a critical discussion about that, its also a good general science exercise.

Angie On Sunday, July 31 at 1:38 pm

By far most of the best nutritional and dietary understanding is available through the Weston A. Price Foundation. There is so much interesting research there. Price was a dentist who, in the 1920′s studied indigenous peoples around the world to find out why they had such beautiful teeth. Since then their research has brought out many basic truths about diet and exposed many fallacies. Nourishing Traditions is a great book to have in the kitchen for recipes and little snippets of information about nearly every food and what its benefits are in our diets. Lots and lots of other books and resources are available through them addressing all those topics you brought up. I highly recommend the Weston A. Price Foundation found at http://www.westonaprice.org

I have had Nourishing Traditions for years now – and you’re right – it is a good book to have around. Reminds me of something my grandmother would have in her kitchen!

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Joni McGovern On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:28 am

Two people already recommended Omnivore’s Dilemma and Nourishing Traditions. There are some great documentaries being made as well on Netflix instant. Food Matters, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Food Revolution, Fathead, Ingredients – might be fun supplements to your curriculum.

Joni, thanks for the documentaries. We’ve seen Food, Inc. and are waiting for Forks over Knives, but I hadn’t heard of some of these others.

Kristy On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:41 am

I just watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead two nights ago! That was amazing…I’m on the hunt for a juicer now! I have the others you mentioned lined up to watch too!

Kelly On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:48 am

I was going to say this exact thing!! These are GREAT movies that we have used to educate ourselves. I just watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead myself. I was inspired to do a 15 day juice fast and lost 16 lbs because of it.

These are movies that I would like to have in our own movie library and watch one a week just to keep our perspective in the right place. They are amazing!

Forks over knives is the research/information that we base our diet on. My husband has many health issues and this has made a bigger difference in his life than all the doctors he has been seen combined!

Kristy On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:56 am

Kelly, any advice on what kind of juicer to get? Did you go with an expensive one or will a middle grade one suffice? Thanks!

Molly E. On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:56 am

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead was AWESOME!!!! Kids would love it and it’s so nutritionally informative and inspiring! I can’t wait to get a juicer!

Jennifer On Wednesday, July 27 at 7:51 am

Can I just say that some of these documentaries are biased representations of food production. For example Food Inc was produced by people that obviously had an agenda and is not representative of much of the agricultural production in North America. It is always a good idea to take information in documentaries with a grain of salt since they are usually an individuals or an individual organization’s point of view and often do not allow you to make your own un-biased conclusions.

I just watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead too (on Netflix). I’ve been juicing every day since! (not a juice fast) and it’s amazing how alive I feel after I drink it. I can only describe it like my cells are playing ping pong with each other. It’s better than a coffee rush..and I’m a coffee junkie!
Heather: I think you may have to market this curriculum!

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Anna On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:29 am

“Train Your Children in the way they Should Eat” by Sharon Broer. This was the book that changed my life. We were semi healthy before but this was the book that made me crave more knowledge in Childrens nutrition. It has now been 5 years of no food coloring, preservatives, trans fats or hight fructose corn syrup in our house. Michael Pollans books are some of my favorites as well. Kudos for you for making the changes and setting a great example for your children!

His Wife On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:29 am

I think it’s important that you include a time-line of sorts of what your body did need, (baby time and how your body wasn’t able to deal with steak and potatoes) and how it changed and will change. I.E. Most 8 year olds don’t need an exercise dvd to get them moving as they are already moving a lot, but a 45 year old needs more. (Which seems completely unfair as you no longer have that 8 year-old’s energy! ) (And how your body can’t really handle a LOT of steak and potatoes.) (Darn.) My point is to just get in their minds now that while they can bounce back easily from a pan-full of brownies now, that will not be the case later and it’s better to get ready now… for later.

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ChristinaB On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:30 am

Try William Sears’ The NDD Book. Great information on how and why artificial colors, preservatives, additives, etc., affect our brains, and therefore our behavior. Short, easy to read and understand. I liked the concept that even if we don’t think it affects us now, we will someday pay for our poor food choices.

Terry A. On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:49 am

Quote: A revealing look at the American (government supported) farms and the food they produce!

Are you saying they’re bad? If so, that’s interesting that you would post this on a blog run by a RANCHER, producing food, and probably getting money from government programs, too.

I have trouble with these theories that propose we only eat locally/seasonal foods. I could never eat a banana, or an orange, or a pineapple, or have lemonade again. And they don’t grow coffee beans or cacao beans around here, either. I’d be sunk.

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CateN On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:39 am

Jonny Bowden’s Healthiest Meals on Earth was in the picture at the top of the post, but I really like The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by the same author. It was very informational and helped me to change my mindset from “avoid unhealthy foods” to “eat foods that most benefit my body.”

CathyB On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:30 am

I was going to recommend this as well. We’re embarking on a similar study in our household this school year. I had planned to use this book, plus maybe some of the more specific e-courses found at http://gnowfglins.com/ecourse/. After reading through the comments, I’ll have to explore some other possibilities as well. Thanks for such a timely (for us) post!

Jennifer On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:30 pm

This is what I was coming here to recommend too! The Real Food Nutrition and Health course is great – I got the book and then ended up having my 14 year old son do the online course (the graded option). I’m using the book (and her newer ‘for kids’ version) to do a “whole-school” study this fall. It teaches the basics of (just as it says) Real Food Nutrition and Health. I like this approach, because of the focus on REAL FOOD. It is definitely similar in approach to the Weston A Price philosophy of healthy eating in that both focus on the nutrients our bodies need and how to get them from real food. Instead of going down a confusing path of counting calories reading labels, you’re actually learning to identify what is FOOD and what is “food-like products” (hint: pretty much anything in a box, can, bag or jar).

I was really happy with the online course for my son (I peaked over his shoulder and “tagged along” to class quite a bit!). But if you wanted to just use the book(s) and put together your own study, it’s REALLY easy to do that.

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Stephanie On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:44 am

I love these anatomical fitness books: http://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Women-Strength-Fitness-Training/dp/007149572X
They have them for men & women’s anatomy. I got mine for about $2 on half.com. Fantastic for breaking down small muscles and showing exercises that work them. Visually simple for interpreting and understanding. The books also talk about body types, meso, endo, etc. and have great scientific facts about body, exercise, a little nutrition.

Elizabeth H. On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:49 am

I agree with Animal Vegetable Miracle and anything by Michael Pollan. I know MP has a couple documentaries made around some of his books. I strongly believe that everyone should watch Food, Inc. It may be a bit graphic for youngsters, but my 7 yr old daughter (who frightens easy) was OK with it and had a lot of questions throughout. A great website/documentary along those lines is Perennial Plate. Extremely interesting. One way to incorporate some of your teachings could be to start having “Meatless Mondays” or other such themed events planned around your topics. I most definitely think you should grow some of your own food during the process as well. You may be limited because of your region, but even lettuce in a cinch to grow in a pot on a patio.

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Pollyanna On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:49 am

For learning more about finances, I highly recommend thesimpledollar.com. I’ve learned SO SO much from the guy who writes it.

For a great rundown of what each vitamin does for us and how to get it, I recommend a book called Drug Muggers by Suzy Cohen, RPh. It’s not a “school” book but it would be a great reference work to look into.

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Debbie On Tuesday, July 26 at 7:52 am

As you are teaching your kids about vitamins, minerals, and all the other good “stuff”, you might consider including how all these elements work together. Some vitamins and proteins require other “partner” vitamins or proteins for your body to use them correctly. For example, when you put beans (navy or great northern) together with corn (cornbread) you get a complete protein that your body can utilize completely. Proteins are like puzzles and without all the pieces (complete amino acids), your body can’t use them to the greatest benefit. Calcium requires vitamin D with it for your body to absorb it properly. Putting correct partner foods together is not difficult, and a good, balanced diet is an excellent way for that to happen. Knowing why their milk has vitamin D added or why grain products are “enriched” helps take the process from “eating something because Mom says we should” to being able to make healthy decisions about food by themselves. A registered dietician at a local hospital or a college nutrition instructor can give you all kinds of solid, correct information. I agree that eating organic/locally grown foods is an excellent choice, but it doesn’t automatically make your food choices the best they can be. Good luck with your unit on healthy foods, I think it is a very good choice and one that your kids will benefit from for the rest of their lives.

When I brought together books for my high school daughter to read about health, I chose a variety & (because of her learning style) had her read & summarize & compare & contrast the books. My goals were to first get her to see how much nutrition & lifestyle impact health and second to see that every “expert” in America has their own “best ever” plan to make your life & abs just fabulous.

We read: You the Owner’s Manual, Best Life Diet, South Beach Diet, Eat This Not That, Atkins for Life & probably some others that are not coming to mind now because I’m having frosted mini-wheats for breakfast instead of eggs.

My husband (who loves to read on this topic – well, all topics actually) says that Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is an excellent book but a bit hard to plow through because it’s so scientific. Why We Get Fat & What to Do About It is his more user-friendly version of some of the same information. He says you might find this article by Taubes interesting: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all (or google Taubes sugar NYT).

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juli On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:02 am

This is my first time commenting. I don’t have children, but I am a registered dietitian. A textbook that we used in a basic nutrition course was “Understanding Nutrition” by Whitney and Rolfes. It is not someone’s opinion, just good sound information. Hope that helps!

Lena On Thursday, July 28 at 6:33 am

I really have no advice to give but wanted to chime in and say that I found the week we learned about nutrition in high school to be the most fascinating week. I should have been a nutritionist. Now…just a food blogger. LOL

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TexasLea On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:04 am

I have a perfect ready made curriculum for you! I wanted to do this same thing with my 7 year old daughter last year and a Mom in my homeschool group told me about a book called Healthy Foods by Leanne Ely. What was even better was she had a copy of a unit study that goes along with the book. It states on the cover that it is geared towards K-5th grade but I promise you it could easily be adapted to include Emelie and even you! In fact I hung onto it because I paln to revisit it again in a couple of years when I feel my daughter can better grasp some more of the concepts of good nutrition taught in the book. I consider myself fairly savy on nutrition and I still learned a few things from it so I feel she can too. This book covers pretty much every point you have up there and the unit study of course reinforces it.

I will be keeping an eye on this subject because as a mom with a 15 and 12 y/o I know I need to better inform them because like you said, not just because mom said so!

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Kim On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:09 am

Hands down you MUST use…Nourshing Traditions as your foundation.

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angela stone On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:11 am

Food renegade just came out with a nutrition program for kids.

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Deborah On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:12 am

I agree with the others who recommend Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Mineral”. Because Kingsolver is an excellent writer and the book is based on her family’s experience (and includes essays by her daughter), the book should be fairly accessible reading for your kids. It is also very thoughtful and rooted in solid research.

Others who have written about food, the food system, and eating locally include: Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, and Wendell Berry.

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Kristy On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:12 am

Girlfriend! You are talking my language in so many ways. I’ve been reading your blog for months and months and while I don’t really make a habit of commenting, I always felt a “kinship” with you…both of us living in TX, homeschoolers (this is my first year), and now healthy eating. I used to be that person who used coupons for everything and stockpiled 25 cans of Manwich and menu planning turned out to be deciding which flavor of Hamburger Helper to have that night.

Then something happened that made me wake up and realize that this was not the way we need to be eating. Long story short, my sweet baby boy’s (he’s 10, I’m in denial of that fact) teacher at the time and his doctor wanted to try him on ADD medication. I didn’t like the idea of putting lots of different meds in his system for prolonged periods of time and wanted to research alternatives before committing.

Fast forward a few years and he is not on medication and what used to take me an hour or two food shopping in a grocery store is now a 2 day excursion! I have completely changed the way we eat, somewhat overnight as I’m an all or nothing type of gal, and I must say we are healthier for it. I buy our farm fresh (raw) milk from a dairy in Plano, our meats come from a local rancher that has now become a family friend and I try to buy our fruits and veggies as organic as possible. I will say that it’s been an eye opening experience on so many levels.

I try very hard, however, to find a balance and not be a stickler too much to the point where my kids will feel deprived and go in the total opposite direction. For instance, just the other day I bought a package of Oreos, which we hadn’t had in a long time, and we were sitting there dunking them in our milk…balance? Irony? Insanity? You be the judge…lol

I would recommend you read Mark’s Daily Apple, he has alot of great info on his site. I also recomment Tosca Reno and Michael Pollen. I’m still researching and tweaking our diets to try and get the most optimal nutrition for us. My kids, especially my son, are starting to realize how different foods make him feel. By his own design I’ve been watching him shy away from breads and sweets. I try not to tell them certain foods are “bad”, I just try to find ones with a higher nutritional value. For example, instead of saying all bread is bad, I either buy or make homemade bread with healthy ingredients, etc.

Wow, this turned into a super long comment, I’m sorry! Anyway, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me and I’ll go into more detail about our journey (as if this wasn’t enough)! I’m so excited and looking forward to this project and your findings!

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blueka On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:16 am

I know nothing about homeschooling (or, judging by my eating habits, nutrition). I am in a bible study group with a woman who homeschools her children and when they worked on a nutrition unit a while ago, she had her daughters each pick a family in need and develop a balanced meal for them and give it to them as a gift (one family had just returned home from the hospital with a new baby and in the other family, the mother was battling breast cancer). I thought it was a nice way to help learn about nutrition and portion control and meal planning for families of different sizes.

Amy On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:17 am

Congratulations on helping your kids to see how nutrition affects us now, while they can easily make changes and develop good habits. I grew up in a white bread, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, “clean your plate, there are children starving in Africa!” household, and food continues to be a challenge even though I know better. Please check out the book “The New American Plate.” It’s from the American Institute for Cancer Research and it focuses on primarily plant-based eating, although it does include some meat. It came out several years ago, before the FDA scrapped the Food Pyramid and switched to the Food Plate, but they coordinate well. It is primarily a cookbook although it has information as well as recipes (and very tasty ones, too!). It is NOT a “diet” cookbook, though – it focuses on good eating habits for better nutrition and health.

Other topics for your curriculum include portion size and how to read the nutrition panel on packaged food. People truly don’t realize what a single portion is today. Having a comparison chart (an ounce of cheese equals two dice, three ounces of meat – the recommended serving size – is the size of a deck of cards) can help kids and adults visualize what they should be measuring. As long as no one has the tendency toward an eating disorder, a digital kitchen scale can be your friend. Also, the nutrition panel encompasses not just what nutrients are present, but an ingredient list. Ingredients are listed in order of largest amount to smallest, but some food sneaks things past you. For example, a cereal that contains bran flakes, raisins and granola clusters may list “granola clusters” as the first ingredient, followed by the ingredients in granola clusters in parentheses, then the rest of the ingredients. They may also include four or five different kinds of sugar under names that aren’t immediately recognizable as sugar, and because they’re separate ingredients you don’t realize that you’re getting a heaping helping of sugar.

Sandi, YES! I definitely want to teach how to read boxes for ingredients and nutrition information; thank you for that reminder!

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Sue On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:18 am

I don’t have any book suggestions for you, but I would recommend that you hold off on your junk food extravaganza experiment until you have a couple of months of healthier/clean eating under your belt. Once your body gets used to eating real food it is easier to notice the impact of eating fast or more highly processed foods. I think I would have the kids keep a journal from day one chronicling their response to their new diet.
Good luck!
Sue

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Mary Jorgensen On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:25 am

I have found that the Hallelujah Acres website is full of wonderful tips, videos and practical food info that have helped me eat healthier and have more energy. They also have a 60 day ‘Juice Up’ healthier lifestyle challenge that is very worthwhile.

I would recommend that you look around for a Community Supported Agriculture farm in your area and sign up. Usually, a CSA means you “join” one farm for a growing season, and then each week, you get a box of vegetables that is grown (sustainably and responsibly) right on that farm. You usually don’t get to choose the veggies that you receive, though some farms allow that. Most of our customers tell us that means they eat more veggies than they normally would AND a bigger variety.
But what you also get is a relationship with the farm/farmers that kids especially can really learn from. Our customers’ kids love to come visit the farm and pick out their Halloween pumpkins, they love coming out to see (and pick) their own veggies, they love opening their box each week and seeing all the different veggies (some say it’s like veggie Christmas, every week) and they love it when I give them something new that they didn’t know they could eat (like a bok choi flower). We also provide recipes in our weekly newsletter. . .so if our customers don’t know how to cook, say, rainbow chard or parsnips, we try our best to help.
You can find such a farm in your area on http://www.localharvest.com, and I think this alone would help you meet most of your food/farm related goals.
Good luck! Nutrition and health are SO important. . .

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BNightengale On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:28 am

http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Life-Lisa-Hark/dp/0756605229
Nutrition for Life is a great book to help start you and your family towards a better understanding of food, nutrition and healthy eating. There is a similar book from England called the Food Bible that is also a great way to begin talking about the culture of food and eating as it presents similar information but with a unique cultural shift into a British lens. Nutrition for Dummies can also be helpful for answering the really basic questions. When talking about food, you can create educational opportunities to talk about the history of the USA, the important role that farmers play, how the economy is affected by commodity subsidies, where does our food come from, how it gets to our table. Right now there is a lot of wonderful information out there about tomatoes, the slavery that exists right now in the Florida tomato fields and how industrialization of food has led to poor nutritional quality, horrendous labor practices, and an increase in obesity and chronic disease related to poor diet, and at the same time an increase in food insecurity (hunger)…… It is a wonderful opportunity to learn about local food available in your area, a chance to meet farmers who grow food to feed their communities, and a chance for you all to access fresh, healthy, delicious food that will add to your health and well-being….. If you want to of course I wish you the best of luck as you begin to explore food and nutrition! Cheers!

When we lived in Georgia, we actually went and spent a day helping a friend in her vegetable garden once a week for three months. My daughter was 5 at the time and really got a good grasp of where food really comes from. She learned about how to care for the plants (food) from seed to harvest. We also participated in a CSA with a local farm. Many CSA’s have volunteer/ classroom type opportunities for kids. I love that hands on approach to learning about food.

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MilWifeMamaofOne On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:30 am

OK, when you get this curriculum figured out, can you share?!?! It’s sounds like you’re off to a great start and while our little one is too little to understand the majority of health and nutrition information, I am not! I would LOVE to have a solid foundation in this area so I can integrate it into our and our daughter’s life as she grows :).

As a chef, I think one of the best ways to get interested in nutrition and nutritional food is to get the kids in the kitchen. And the best way to get kids to eat healthy foods, is to have them experiment with cooking them. Talk about whole grains and then go cook whole grains. Have them try out barley and steel cut outs and quinoa. Get out side and grow a garden with them – so they have interest in eating all the veggies (and maybe some fruits) that they were able to help create.

I had to take two nutritional classes in culinary school – one was straight up nutrition and one was nutritional cooking. I got so much more out of the cooking one because we talked about whole grains and how good they are for you and then went and tried out different meals with. And not only did I learn that these things are good for me but that they taste good too and I now want to incorporate them into my life. You can get all the book knowledge you want on it, but the change takes actually getting up and doing. And realizing that this stuff is good for you and does taste good too.

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cowgrrl On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:31 am

As a farmer’s daughter I think that all kids should be exposed to where their food comes from. I’ve never met a farmer that doesn’t like talking about farming! I would suggest going to local farmer’s markets and seeing who would be willing to give a tour or knows anyone that has a dairy, cattle, etc. Another great source would be to go to the elevator, a lot of times they will give tours and they have relationships with most farmers in the area and could get you in contact with growers.
They also know all the benefits of their product.

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Cammie On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:32 am

I agree – Nourishing Traditions. I was also thinking of Jordan Rubin’s The Maker’s. It has a lot of valuable information about what food does to our bodies – good and bad.

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Lena_in_ATL On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:35 am

A fun science experiment would be the effects of soda on teeth. You could ask your dentist (or the tooth fairy) for a few teeth. Put the teeth in containers with regular soda, diet soda, tea and water. Then, record the changes over time.

Jen m. On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:55 pm

That is a cool idea. I would be fascinated, so I know kids would be too!

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Christina On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:37 am

I think a lesson on “what is a whole grain” would go well with the Protein and Calcium lessons you already have planned, along with summaries on some of the more common vitamins and minerals, and a lesson on how to read and understand food labels. The First Lady has been very big on childhood nutrition information lately- http://www.letsmove.gov or the USDA website might have resources you can use in lesson planning.

These are Australian resources, but as a home ec teacher who has been trained to teach nutrition all the way through to high level year 12 (equivalent of low level entry uni in many ways)…. the resources I love in my general classroom are:

PonyFla On Tuesday, July 26 at 11:51 am

I’ll third the Mayo Clinic book. Lots of really good information in easy portions. Much like Ellie Krieger’s book, no food is off limits, but every food fits into an often/sometimes/rarely category. There is also a lot of information covering topics you listed in your curriculum; good fats vs. bad fats, which nutrients need good fats to be fully absorbed, etc. I appreciated this common sense approach to food.

Apologia Anatomy actually covers a lot of that. We used it last year and really loved it.

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Claudia On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:59 am

When it comes to food, I follow three simple rules:
1. eat organic;
2. if you can’t eat it raw, then don’t eat it; and
3. if the food industry threw in additives that start with the letter E or sound like something coming straight out of a chemistry book, then don’t eat it either.
These rules led me straight to eating Paleo. But should you need another final push to dispel any persistent fast-food cravings, then I heartily recommend reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. It was published nine years ago, but I still regard it as a major eye-opener!

theresa robertson On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:44 am

try Mark Sisson or Rob Wolff for Primal or Paleo eating….basically eating the way man did before farming or domesticating cattle….It has helped me eat without constantly thinking ABOUT FOOD! and lose weight as well as feel better than i have in years!

GOOD LUCK ! Theresa

Andrea On Wednesday, July 27 at 1:08 am

Paleo has been THE ANSWER for me. I second the Robb Wolf recommendation.

I second reading Fast Food Nation. This one really hit it home for me. Fat Land by Greg Critser is also a great (short!) read, delving nicely into the history of American farm subsidies and its effects on health.

Also worth reading after all the excellent recommendations in these comments: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. Graphic, but good.

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Norma Zed On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:01 am

Have you read The China Study by Colin Campbell, or The Food Revolution by John Robbins. I’m currently devouring them (taking a tiny break as I set my kitchen on fire! Sheesh!…the clean-up!!) I’m looking forward to checking out the books you’re mentioning and reading comments by others to perhaps help me create a unit study for my kids too! It’s not easy turning this ‘ole ship around! I’m working on it. Congrats on making changes in your life!

Jenny Christian On Tuesday, July 26 at 1:06 pm

I second The China Study – wonderfully eye-opening. Perhaps not so much for kids as it gets a little wordy-scientific but it’s a great read. You already mentioned plant- vs. animal-based proteins and this gets deep in to that as well. Good luck!

Sherrie On Tuesday, July 26 at 3:13 pm

LOVED the China Study and am living it and feel incredible. I plan on reading many of the other books mentioned in these comments. I am homeschooling for the first time this year and am now considering my own nutrition curriculum as well. My kiddos know mommy eats very healthy, but how wonderful if they truly understood why I eat the way I do and feed them the way I do. So excited to see where this all goes!

Colleen On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:01 am

I am wrapping up administrating a school project to improve student understanding of healthy foods. The project was funded by our local state department of public health and they provided so much material for the teachers to use. The project was geared towards K-5th grade, but the older grades experienced the benefits as well. The site for all the material we used is: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/pickabettersnack/teachers.asp
One component that worked really well was monthly food tasting – each month the students were given a new food to taste and were educated on why it was good for you (i.e., it contains fiber, fiber does what to your body, etc.)

I have even started using some of the items at home with my three kids.

Gayle On Tuesday, July 26 at 12:56 pm

Thanks for the link to the website. I just browsed around there and am very impressed. I’ve been into healthy eating myself for a long time and try to educate my students to make healthier choices. This really motivates me to find the time (the biggest obstacle) to do some of these activities with my first graders this coming year. I’m thinking of finding community partners who will be willing to help in getting the foods to taste. Have you done anything like this or have suggestions?

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CF On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:01 am

Teach the Krebs Cycle. Teach how the foods we eat are metabolized and work in our body on a cellular level to produce energy. Essential amino acids are fascinating!

I totally agree with this– but go further with it! Don’t just teach Krebs Cycle, learn about photosynthesis, how plants get energy, and how we get the energy from plants. Then talk about how we use the energy as well. Also, cellular respiration is the core of the Krebs Cycle, and without the cellular resp. part Krebs doesn’t do a whole lot.
A simple lab that you can do with photosynthesis is to cover a section of a plant’s leaf (the bigger the leaf, the better) with a square of paper, and compare what happens after a week.

Another idea is to check out some biology teacher websites–many have great information or labs that you can adapt to do at home. One I particularly like is http://www.biologycorner.com.

I totally agree with this – you don’t need to go into all the details, but this is a great opportunity to integrate your nutrition lessons with chemistry. You can look at simple molecular structures – what makes a carb complex or simple, what defines a fat, what is glucose, etc. Learning how molecules are named is also helpful in interpreting labels (e.g. the suffix “ose” indicates a type of sugar)

Laura On Tuesday, July 26 at 8:38 pm

If you want to continue with the food/science link, you can also play with the chemistry of food. An easy experiment would be to take a recipe and make it up a few different ways, omitting a different ingredient each time (e.g., baking soda, salt, eggs). Then, your kids would better understand why a particular ingredient is in a prepared food, and it could easily tie in with your chemistry lessons.

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steffiet On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:07 am

I’d also check out the new food pyramid/plate (choosemyplate.gov). I’ve been using this for years with my patients, and it’s a really common sense approach to healthy eating. The website has classroom activities forcusing on different age groups. Of course, I would definitely supplement with others (esp. Michael Pollen).

Boy oh boy, does this look like a topic where you have to watch out for bad science. So many authors with so many agendas (plus the one they all have, where they want lots and lots of people to think their books contain revolutionary info, so lots and lots of people will buy them and rave about them).

I don’t know what I would do to assemble such a curriculum. I’d recommend reading Ben Goldacre’s book Bad Science to get an idea just what kind of nonsense people get away with saying (and get rich saying) about drugs, health, and nutrition, and I’d recommend watching for good (valid, peer-reviewed) scientific references throughout any book that claims to explain any biological process.

Abby's Mom On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:43 am

Right on! Most of the conventional wisdom – even the food pyramid – is questionable science.

Fit for Life by Neil Harvey Diamond is a good resource for how our bodies process different types of foods. My husband is currently doing the Eat to Live 6 week plan and the results are great. He can attest that on this eating plan he actually does not get the “diet hungries” or the crazy cravings, as long as he sticks to the plan. Once he finishes the 6 week plan, we will begin to transition our families eating habits over to his lifestyle plan. I’m really looking forward to it!

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DFrazzled On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:15 am

When I was in fourth grade (public school) we had a basic lab on nutrition: two lab mice with identical DNA in separate but identical housing and conditions. One mouse was fed water and vegetables. The other mouse was fed Sprite and potato chips. We monitored outcomes such as fur color/discoloration, disposition of the animals, exercise/sleep habits, weight/length. The impact on me was huge, as the difference in the two mice was tremendous, and the lab was more than 20 years ago. Best of luck!

sajoko On Wednesday, July 27 at 9:17 am

YES! That was the experiment I was going to suggest! It is amazing to see the difference between how the two mice act…. The ‘junk food’ mouse is totally hyped up, bouncing off the walls. The ‘real food’ mouse is calm and industrious, doing “mouse-y” things. Amazing! However, be warned…if you do not wean the ‘junk food’ mouse off his/her diet back to a healthier one, it will die. Quite sad…and at the same time, taking it that far certainly drives home the point! I just couldn’t do it (even though I’m not a very big mouse fan….)

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Milli On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:21 am

I’m a homeschooling mom and a registered dietitian. I think it is important to start with a good foundation. Since nutrition is a science there are some basics that should be learned before you can effectively move into all the differing opinions. I’d start with an introductory text. I saw “Understanding Nutrition” by Whitney and Rolfes, mentioned above which would be a good choice. Another similar option would be “Nutrition and You” by Blake.
Nutrition is an area where many people concentrate on small details because that is what they read in a book or heard somewhere. At the same time they overlook other things that have a huge impact. An introductory text helps you see the big things. After those are in place it makes sense to look at the important, but smaller details.

shawn On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:22 am

At least one of the comments above mentioned it, but Kristen at Food Renegade has published two different levels of a nutrition curriculum. I have the one intended for older students (upper middle school/highschool) and it is a good general introduction to real foods. She doesn’t really touch too much on anatomy, but does explain why whole foods are good for our bodies. There is room here for more, in terms of anatomy and home economics (because Real Food is, less face it, a lot more work in terms of kitchen skills and time management). Personally, I feel something that is really lacking in this regard (not that Kristen has tackled the Why) is the How. If something came out that really helped teach How to incorporate real food preparation into a busy modern schedule, I would be all over it in a second!

hennifer On Tuesday, July 26 at 2:47 pm

“If something came out that really helped teach HOW to incorporate… into a busy modern schedule…” Right on Nicole!

This topic is very near to my heart as I strive to eat healthier, by healthy, raise healthy children etc but I’m a single mom with two kids, full time work etc and I don’t know how any of us manage, working or at home moms! lol

Way to go on this endeavor OMSH! You’ve given me some great ideas on how to bolster my children’s public school education during the year.

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Diana On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:27 am

Myself and a colleague built tow nutrition kits for our school. One is on sugar for the lower grades, and one is fat for the upper (4-6) grades. Basically, we find two things and compare them. For example, find a cereal with a high sugar content, and show them how much sugar is in a serving by showing them sugar packets. (1g sugar = 1 Sugar packet). Then compare with a cereal that has a lower sugar content.

We do the same thing for the fat kit, comparing chips or crackers or popular recess snacks. We put canola oil in containers to show the fat. It’s really mind-blowing to have that visual in front of you!

Ang On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:31 am

When my daughter was in kindergarten, they did some type of nutrition unit where they learned what red light(once in a while), yellow light (have some but not a lot), and green light (any time) foods were – it might have been based on this book: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Light-Green-Eat-Right/dp/1605294845 Either way, it has stuck with her and us for years – we’ll stop and think about a “red light” before we eat too much!

Well I have read many books and watched a ton of documentaries on healthy eating. Food Matters is a great documentary, as well as, No Impact Man. No Impact Man touches on food a little but is great for other aspects of overall recycling, using less energy, eating organic. Skinny Bitch is a great book on nutrition…….don’t let the title turn you away. Inside the authors talk about what artificial sweetners turn into once they enter the body. The authors are great advocates of a Vegan lifestyle. Eat Right for your Type is another great book. The author is a doctor who has done studies about the kinds of foods we should eat based on our blood types. It is a good book to explain the way in which history has determined the food we eat and how our body processes it. Another great book is Radical Homemakers, touches on nutrition, finance, materialism and the movement to be a home of self sufficiency rather than dependent on “big business”…..good read so far. The only experiment that really stands out for me is the fast food french fry, which I think someone has already mentioned, and of course the peice of bacon in soda. If you place a peice of bacon in soda the soda will eventually “eat” the bacon. Think about what it is doing to the inside of us! Good luck and cannot wait to read the updates.

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Kellie On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:36 am

At my ripe age of 26 (okay, more rare than ripe), I am in the midst of the largest onslaught of dietary aids I will ever be exposed to. For me, growing up never included education about portion control, good sugars or good fats. I was a ranch kid… I ran it all off. But when life hit after high school and the weight began to come on, I wondered what was the best way to deal with it. First of all, I needed someone to explain that more weight isn’t a bad thing depending on how you gained it. I was never taught how your body’s cycle depended on the timing of certain carbs, proteins and sugars. On the flip side (and what I believe to be the most important), I was never educated on what a “bad diet” was.

All I heard was “eat less, but more often” or “fats are bad”, “stay away from sugars”….. I never heard the why. So when early 20s hit, I was curious. I asked about fad diets, the magic pills my friends were talking about. It wasn’t until after my year in Organic Chemistry that I started reading labels and researching what these things did on a molecular level in my body. That is what scared me. I realized that good habits, discipline and informed choices would never let me down. And it’s taken years to get to a point that I do not feel societal pressures about eating desert.

I realize a lot of how we work and process information comes from our up bringing. I had family that had eating disorders, so I became predisposed for certain types of thought patterns. However, we had health class in school and not once was “bad habits” ever really explored. The typical “don’t sit around and munch on potato chips all day” was included, but the why was not. How our bodies react to exercise, why we do it, why should we eat complex carbs was never the topic of conversation.

I think having an education on the darker side of nutrition is just as important as the good side.

Check out “The Primal Blueprint” by Mark Sisson. Great information on how insulin works in your body in relation to sugars, proteins, fats, etc. Eating primally isn’t difficult and I have noticed a huge difference in my energy levels, chronic pain, chronic sinus issues, and weight loss! Good luck!

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Molly F. On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:41 am

I love this idea! I don’t have kids yet, but from tutoring at local elementary school, I am shocked and saddened by some of the foods the children will eat. Most of them know very little about even the basics of the food pyramid. Your children are very lucky that they will have the opportunity to learn about this so they can make informed choices for themselves.

Gayle On Tuesday, July 26 at 12:49 pm

I agree that what children eat today (and what parents buy for them to eat) is very disturbing when one realizes the long-term effects of such a diet on the person’s health. In the school where I teach the school lunches (while never really the most healthy) have dramatically deteriorated in the last few years. They now resemble fast food like chicken nuggets and french fries shaped into patties with a smiley face on them. They are produced by corporations through purchase agreements and the cafeteria workers just heat them up. And they are not giving the children very big portions either. There’s very little real nutrition. Occasionally there’s a slice of orange, apple or banana.

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fefe from tx On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:45 am

Did people list michael pollens first book the omnivores dilemma? Also another good book is you are what you eat by gillian mckeith

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JJ On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:46 am

So glad to see you have a book by Johnnie Bowden. We really like his book called The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. My 7 year old and I have read through that book and now he is always reminding me “Mom, this food had a star in our book, it’s really good for us” or “Remember mom? This food fights cancer” – which is a big deal right now as cancer has touched our family. It is a great resource.
Another fabulous resource is Dr. Mercola. http://www.mercola.com He brings together a lot of nutrition research and has a lot of fascinating experts Lots of great information!

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Susan H On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:51 am

A good “lab” project would be to make foods using healthy/hidden foods. Like brownies with black beans… see if there is a difference in the taste, and study the nutritional value added to “junk” food with small changes.

“The Sneaky Chef” cooking series and her blog are a good place to start.

I just finished doing some nutrition research of my own. I’ve got a life-long illness that makes losing weight quite difficult, and I’ve heard too much misinformation and media hype about how to eat that I wanted to study it out for myself. I’m not sure whether this link will work or not, but here is a note I shared on facebook with some resources and other basic info about a healthful diet… it answers some of the questions you mentioned above:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150256609419917

Email me if you cannot access the note, and I can paste its contents into the body of an email.

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Michelle On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:58 am

This is why we homeschool too! We can CHOOSE what we teach our kids!
There is so much new research out there that even our physicians aren’t aware of yet. From what I’ve learned, the glycemic index is key when feeding ourselves AND our children. Did you know bananas are more likely to cause fat storage than peaches, pears, apples or any kind of berry? Also, artificial sugars are much “sweeter” than granulated sugar, so when we even TASTE artificial sugar, our brains tell our organs to gear up for a BIG job (dumping insulin in our systems) when there are no calories to consume. That sets the body up to create NEW fat cells. Google the “cephalic response”. Knowledge is power. This kind of information can help reverse our country’s metabolic issues and help our kids grow up to be healthy adults. Some clinical info:http://www.grikidfriendly.com/
Good luck, Heather!

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Erika On Tuesday, July 26 at 9:58 am

What a great idea to incorporate those ideas into a curriculum. I don’t really have any words of advice to offer, but did want to let you know how much I enjoy reading your posts.
I do not have any children – not even a husband yet! – But you have really inspired me to consider homeschooling as an option if I ever do have children.

Money management, healthy lifestyle….those are the things we ALL need to learn; not just kids.

Kadee Barrett On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:01 am

Oh, I have the perfect movie and st least I’ve accompanying science lab for you! I’m essentially an informal science educator at the California Academy of Sciences, and we just watched this incredible movie as an option to include in one of our programs. It’s this fantastic movie by middle school age girls who live in new york all about healthy eating. They ask questions like why is some foods taste better than others (fresh picked tomato vs not), they look at local food, organic food, the food they are served st school, etc. It is really an incredible movie, and it is an uplifting and positive food movie. I’ll look it up when I get to work. Then they do this amazing project in science lab that I so want to do. They take a walnut, a marshmallow, and a runtime, and burn them all to see how long they last -how many calories, and what’s left over, good things or bad things.

Kadee Barrett On Tuesday, July 26 at 4:43 pm

First, my apologies for the mangled sentences up there. I blame my phone’s spell-check for those frightening changes, though my forgetting to proofread didn’t help. The movie is called “What’s on Your Plate” and information about it can be found at http://www.whatsonyourplateproject.org/about/synopsis The website includes scads and scads of information, including purchase info for the movie and the accompanying book( with recipes, stories, activities and more! AWESOME!) Under “Your Voice” is the “Teacher’s Corner” where you can find the basic info for the science lab they conduct with the walnut, marshmallow and funyun (according to my phone funyun=runtime). I also have a more detailed lab procedure in PDF which might be appropriate for older kids like Emelie. Send me an email and I’ll pass that on. I cannot recommend this resource strongly enough!

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shelly On Tuesday, July 26 at 10:05 am

In grad school (I graduated this past winter) I took a class called tech in the curriculum and my 2 partners and I created a webquest that may be useful to you. It is about health in general, including nutrition and exercise, but also includes the social and emotional aspects. (Covering even more STANDARDS!) The link is:

The project is set up as a radio show with callers asking questions regarding their health. The students, as the “health experts” have to research the issues and come up with answers in the form of a podcast as the final project. Included are websites and rubrics and scaffolding resources. Hope that helps!

Lauren H On Tuesday, July 26 at 1:01 pm

Have them watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead from Netflix. It is amazing and life changing.

Find the Pioneer Woman on:

Charlie has a brand new children's book out, and it's all about the day a new calf comes into the world! She sleeps in Charlie's bed, hogs all the attention...and hilarity ensues. Hope you and your kiddos enjoy the book!